Pictures From Our Week

Wednesday morning we were up, dressed, and out the door with a few extra minutes to spare, so I talked the littles into letting me take a picture in front of the neighbor's tree. I have to say, I love that Noelle wears a uniform for school- she only has a few things to choose from so there's less of a battle ,and she looks so darn cute!

This little Holden! He is just the sweetest, cutest, happiest little boy. And he LOVES Noelle and Jonah. He basically walks around tackling them from behind in a giant bear hug while grinning his face off. I love it! And can't believe he's almost 14 months old. Stop the growing!

My mom brought Holdy over to our house for a little bit and she worked on her super Nana skills feeding Holden a bottle while also holding Clara. The little Irish twin cousins I like to call them. :)

Thursday morning I convinced them to let me take another picture before school. Of course both always want to be the one holding the baby, which usually leads to more pictures so they can take turns. And Clara is wearing little snap up footie pajamas that are from CSU that Nathan bought for Noelle when she was born. One of a few things that all three will get to wear!

We stopped by Nana's house after Noelle's half day of school on Friday and hung out for a bit. As usual, Holden was trying to love and Jonah, and Jonah kept squealing and running away.

Noelle and Jonah brought down a pillow and blanket to put on the couch this morning and I walked into the room to see them snuggling each other. It was the sweetest, and it makes me so happy to see them together like that. I of course added Clara to the little love pile for a picture.

Rambling Thoughts

Things are so so busy and even more big changes are coming for us (because adding a baby in 2017 wasn't enough!!) But God's got it because I sure don't and the stress is at an all time high.

BUT we're still trying to make time for all the fun! Cause it's fall and I love fall and it's almost October, my favorite month of the year. Because it's the epitome of fall- cooler weather, colorful leaves, lots of fall adventures to farms, and adorable costumes on my kids.

Last week we grabbed some donut holes from Dunkin, picked Noelle up from school, and drove over to a nearby farm to hang out for a bit to enjoy the beautiful day.

Of course the weather also needs to get on board with it being fall because it's still in the 90s- at least we're getting more wear out of Clara's summer clothes. Girlfriend is just about out of those newborn sizes (whyyyy do they grow so fast??) and I'm already sad that it's time to give those clothes away. But I know they'll be put to good use!

Luke was out of town Thursday through Saturday last week, and since his flight got in late (aka 9:30 p.m.) my mom picked him up so we wouldn't have to keep the kids up late. By the time he got home I was sound asleep, and he didn't have keys and we've somehow managed to lose our hidden key, so he couldn't get in. I woke up to 37 missed calls from him, did not hear him repeatedly ring the doorbell, and eventually he called his sister to come bring him a key. And all the kids slept through it. We must have super effective sound machines.

On top of all the crazy of life, I'm back in the boot and haven't worked out in at least two months, which means I am without my major stress reliever/me time. I've lost muscle for sure and I feel frustrated with all my clothes showing my protruding belly of split abs/fat. I even broken-down and wore one of Luke's t-shirts over the weekend. I keep reminding myself, I just had a baby 3 months ago and healing takes time. But still! The stress! 

And as posted on Instagram, the epitome of my mom life right now is our drives to and from school, which involve the same book on CD on repeat (thanks, Ruth!), a crying baby who HATES the carseat, and me with my coffee, praying for lots of grace and patience. When Luke went back to work last week, one of my biggest worries was that I wouldn't get Noelle to school on time. Thankfully, we've made it to the drop-off line on time every day, and everyone is even fed and dressed for the day. Getting us all out the door by 7:40 is an adventure, and brings out my not so nice side. But I'm learning, God is showing me I NEED HIM. And I'm incredibly thankful for this crazy, chaotic, love filled life He's given me! Amen, mamas??

Recent Tidbits

We've been keeping busy this month! I'm still trying to get into some kind of routine with school starting to give Clara a chance to have at least one decent nap, but it's definitely a work in progress as we're also trying to meet up with friends, go to MOPS meetings, and get the older two to and from school.

Jonah, Clara, and I met up with some friends at our favorite crepe place and then headed over to the playground to let Jonah and his little girl friend play.

Noelle had her first day doing the drop-off line in the morning instead of me walking her in. Oh man was that harder on me than her- she's wanted to do it every day since, and I cried more that day than I did on the first day of school. Why do babies not keep??

And speaking of babies not keeping, Jonah had his first independent day of 3's preschool. He walked into his class without looking back and had an absolute blast. 

I got the girls their first set of matching clothes from Boden. Noelle could not get her school uniform off quickly enough when she got home so that she could be twinsies with her sister.

Jonah has been wanting uppie a lot, which will be a lot of fun when Luke goes back to work on TOMORROW! Eek!

Last weekend we headed to Gaver Farm for a wagon ride and

Touch a Tractor day with Aunt Heather and Holden. Jonah disappeared on me a few times in his excitement to see all the things, but thankfully we all made it home. And with some delicious apple cider donut holes to share with Daddy.

We also made it to church as a family where the girls were twinsies and Clara and I spent our usual time in the nursing room.

The Ravens won their first game of the season last Sunday so on Monday morning after dropping off Noelle at school, we met Heather and Holdy for some free Dunkin Donuts coffee.

On Tuesday we took an early bath, put on pajamas, and checked out one of the new ice cream places on Main Street for a pre-bedtime treat. Delicious!

And cuddles for baby Clara are always on repeat, but especially important right before bed.

Labor Day Weekend 2017

Labor Day weekend this year was busy, but full of things we love- family, friends, and sunshine!

My brother and his girlfriend flew in from Colorado to see us for a bit, and also to drive up to NY for a wedding. On Friday we picked up some coffee and donuts and headed over to my parent's house to hang out for a little bit before they left for NY. Nathan got to meet his newest niece, and I dressed her in her Colorado onsie just for him!

Luke's older sister also came in to town from Charlottesville, and two of my college roommates came in from TX and PA to meet Clara and hang out. On Saturday, while Luke and his sister took Noelle and Jonah up to his parent's house, I hung out with Kristen and Amy and we pretty much talked all things baby, motherhood, and questioning how on earth we got this old. We even made a run out to Babies'R'Us and got a picture with the Expectant/New mom sign.

I have no pictures from Sunday, but after church we grabbed some lunch at the local Farmer's Market (well, I nursed Clara in the van while everyone else grabbed some food and looked around), and then we headed up to Luke's parent's house for a belated birthday meal for Luke. It is so fun being able to see family, and Noelle and Jonah had an absolute blast playing Nate the Great with Aunt Hannah.

Monday we all slept in, and when my sister texted to see what we were doing, I suggested we all grab Chick Fil A to go and meet at a local farm for a picnic and to play with the goats. It was gorgeous out- sunny, low humidity, 70*.

The kids loved feeding the goats, and at one point a guy with a dog came over and Jonah felt the need to tell him that we in fact do not have a dog at home, just a mean cat. So very true Jonah, and definitely something a complete stranger needs to know. :)

The farm also had a sunflower field, so we agreed that Noelle and Jonah could each choose one flower to pick and buy. Jonah chose one bigger than his face, of course.

And it was also necessary that they put their flowers in the kid shopping carts in order to take them to the register to pay.

Monday afternoon, after Clara woke up from her nap, we headed to my parent's house for some more time with Nathan.

 

 And just a favorite picture from the sunflower field that Luke snapped of me and the kids! Love having these little adventures with our family!

Seattle Trip

Operation Meet Great Grandma was a success! We flew into Seattle in the evening on August 23rd, and our return flight was Sunday morning, the 27th. It was a whirlwind trip, but packed full of lots of fun and family. My dad's brother and sister live there with their spouses, as well as my grandmother (who is the only living great-grandma for our kids.) My aunt and uncle very graciously bought our plane tickets to help us get the baby out to Seattle to meet my grandma. She had flown to the East Coast last November for my dad's 60th birthday and decided that she didn't want to do flights that long any more. She's in her early 90's, so it's completely understandable. Luke and I were super grateful to have a chance to be there so she could meet her fourth great-grandchild!

Thursday
There were no set plan for the morning that day giving us a chance to sleep and get settled in. Once we were all up and dressed, my uncle took us down to Pike's Market to check everything out. We got to see the fish throwing, the original Starbucks (the line was way too long to buy anything), and he took us to a restaurant called The Pink Door, which did not have a sign, but was just a pink door in an alleyway. The food was delicious! We stopped at a chocolate store to get some fudge, and my uncle treated me to a mocha. So good!

My aunt (my dad and uncle's sister) met up with us at lunch, and after we were finished up around the market, we headed down to the pier to wander around. We bought some t-shirts for the kids and rode on the Wings Over Washington ride, which was a fun way to "see" many of the major things Washington state has to offer. Clara was starting to get fussy after that so we headed back to my Aunt and Uncle's house and got to see my grandma.

It was SO special watching her hold Clara (her 4th great-grandchild), and she asked me if Clara's middle name was after her- of course, Grandma! Clara was getting a little fussy so I put her down for what we thought would be an evening nap, and she ended up sleeping until 2 a.m., nursed, and then went right back to sleep until about 6. Worn out!

Friday
Friday was also Luke's birthday, and we got to spend the day exploring Mt. Rainier. We drove to my Aunt's house in Tacoma, and then caravanned to Mt. Rainier National Park. Clara was HATING the car seat, and we were driving for most of the day which was a bit rough. But we did stop and walk around at different points to take in the amazing views, and stopped so I could nurse her. After dinner at my Aunt's in Tacoma, we headed back to Seattle to sleep!

Saturday
On Saturday we took the ferry and got to explore Poulsbo where both my Grandma and Grandpa lived at various times in their lives. My great-grandparents continued to live there when my dad and his siblings were born, so it was fun hearing my uncle and aunt share some memories from when they would come stay with them.

We only were able to stay in Poulsbo for a few hours, and it was a charming little town- on the water, a cute historic main street, fun little shops. We even visited what used to be the newspaper building where my great-grandparent's ran the town newspaper for years. I really enjoyed the family history lesson, and Luke and I both wished that we could have had more time to explore the town. Next time for sure!

We took the ferry back, and then went out to dinner at Anthony's to celebrate Luke's birthday. We sat at a table with a view of the water, ate delicious seafood, and witnessed a beautiful sunset. It was the perfect ending to our trip and time with family. Since we were flying out the next morning, I hugged my grandma goodbye and she teared up, which of course made me tear up!

I so hope we can go out to Seattle again soon with all the kids and spend more time with family! Thankfully, Clara slept in the wrap for the first half of the flight home, nursed for a bit, and then went back to sleep.

Clara for the first 10 minutes of sitting on the plane on the flight to Seattle

Aunt Karen getting baby snuggles

Mt. Rainier

the church in Poulsbo where my grandparents got married

Poulsbo was first inhabited by Vikings

Kindergarten

Noelle had her first week of kindergarten last week! She is such a little girl already (no more preschooler!), and seems even more grown up in the few days that she's been in school full time. Thankfully she absolutely loves it, and at this point, still looks forward to going to school. We had back to school night last week, and Luke and I were even more blown away by the school and how much they have to offer for being so small. We love her teacher, and are super excited to see Noelle learn all the things this year!

That first morning I was extra grateful that Luke was with us because I was a bundle of nerves and kept tearing up as we drove to school. I kept asking him what if this or that happens, and he kept reassuring me that everything would be fine. We were able to walk her to her classroom and stay for  a few minutes as she got settled. When it was time for us to go, she gave us a quick hug and got right back to the task at hand (gluing colored scraps of paper to her name.) Seeing her happy to be there helped settle this mama's heart quite a bit!

Her teacher sent home a packet for the parents to fill out to give her a better idea of what each kid is like. She asked things like what our goals for our child are, what we're most worried about, personality questions, bedtime routines, and more. One thing she included was for us to give her any and all information we wanted her to know "in a million words or less." As a mom, I wanted to convey as much as I could about our girl and wrote out some thoughts, and wanted to keep a record for ourselves.

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Where to begin about our girl, Noelle? As most any parent would say, it has been an absolute joy watching her grow into a big girl. While I'm sad about how quickly each stage is passing, it's been fun watching her become the girl God is creating her to be.

Noelle is sweet and loving, reserved and silly, smart and inquisitive. She loves her family, all things crafting, singing, dresses, being read to, eating pizza and Chick Fil A, playing dress-up, princesses, ballet, and so much more.

When she's in a new environment, she often takes some time to stand back and take it all in. Once this girl is warmed up though, she will jump right in, ask people their names, and play with complete strangers. While she is shy, she doesn't seem to have stage fright, as displayed by her pre-k graduation where she (and she alone!) curtsied after every song.

Her daddy is a goofball, and Noelle loves to be silly right along with him. They make up songs about everything and anything. Her giggle can't help but make me smile, and she'll repeat anything that made her laugh- and then the laughter begins again.

Noelle loves her family. She's always been a mama's girl, and daddy is the best at turning her sour attitude around. She and her brother Jonah (21 months apart) have spent hours playing together, and he adores her. She was so excited to get a baby sister this past summer, and as a little fashionista, loves picking out baby Clara's daily outfit. We also live less than a half hour from both sets of grandparents, and it's been beautiful seeing those relationships grow.

This past summer her love for crafting exploded. All of a sudden she seemed to be taking her time coloring pictures and staying in the lines. We had daily painting sessions, drew pictures on the easel, colored with chalk, and more. We know starting her first day of kindergarten with decorating her name was one of the best possible ways to begin her year.

We knew she would be excited about kindergarten, but we were still blown away by how well she did in her first week. Seeing my baby walk down the hallway full of confidence, and hearing her talk and laugh about each day has been such a blessing. We are excited for the year ahead!